Somewhere In the Sands of Time
by warriors-icefire
Summary: The Martins and their friends jump at the chance to spend spring break in Manhattan. Cody accidentally over hears a chilling phone conversation, and they have a chance to prevent 9 11 from ever happening. Will their brave attempt lead to their own deaths?
1. Here We Come, Manhattan

**A/N: This is my third story for the Suite Life, so I hope it's pretty good. R&R!  
**

**Somewhere In The Sands of Time  
**

_Prologue_

Zack sighed and wiped his long blond hair from his blue/green eyes, his fingers tapping his desk impatiently. He glance at the clock and realized that, thankfully, there was only an hour left until lunch. His teacher, Ms. Smith, who looked like she was in about her nineties, wasn't paying attention so he scribbled a quick note to Cody.

_Hey, where did Mom say we're going for Break? I can't take any more of this "school" stuff!_

_-Board to Death_

Zack flicked it over to Cody's desk, who was sitting in front of him. Cody's eyes darted from Ms. Smith, to the note before he cautiously opened it. He scribbled a reply onto another scrap of paper, and tossed it back.

_You actually managed to spell bored wrong! Mom hasn't told us yet. Our's supposed to be some surprise, but Tape and Max are going to the Manhattan Tipton. I hope we get to go somewhere better than Grandma's house this year!_

_We're Gonna Get In Trouble So Stop!_

Zack took a quick look at the note, before writing something on the back and turning it into a paper football. He flicked it onto Cody's desk again.

Cody gave him a quick exasperated glare, before reading it.

_Are you kidding?! Ms. Smith is so ancient, she can't see past the second row of desks! Anyway, where are the rest of our friends going? Vacation sucks when it's just you, me, and Mom, who just wants to lay around and read all day. Can't she do that in Boston?_

_-Ms.Smith.sucks.007_

Cody discreetly slipped the note back to him.

_ Well Ms.Smith.sucks.007, I wonder how many detentions you'd get if she just_ happened_ to find that note on her desk? NOW QUIT! I don't know where anyone else is going for vacation either._

_-I swear you'll regret it if you pass me another note!_

Zack read the scrap of green paper and sighed. He muttered under his breath, "Guess it's back to Bored to Death." After what seemed like an eternity, the bell rang and Zack was the first to bolt out the door.

His silver locker just wouldn't open and it took him a few minutes to get the combination right. He grabbed his lunch money and ran to the cafeteria to catch up with Cody. Hopefully Max or Tapeworm had saved them seats. No such luck.

Cody waved Zack over to the last two open seats. Sitting down, Cody watched Zack glare at some one over his shoulder. He turned to see the Drew Crew about to put a "kick me" sign on his back. They whistled 'innocently' and walked away to pick on some one else.

Cody turned back to Zack. "Why do they always pick on us?"

Zack smirked. "Isn't obvious? They're all jealous of my devastatingly good looks." Cody rolled his eyes and the twins went up to buy their lunch.

"I think I figured out why Mom won't tell us where we're going for spring break." Zack remarked.

"Why?" Cody asked curiously. His blue/green eyes followed Zack's identical gaze, and he saw his mother talking to Tapeworm's parents at the school's front door. Straining his ears, he heard a few words of their brief conversation.

Carey nodded a few times, "So it's the Manhattan Tipton a block away from the airport . . . " She asked something that Cody couldn't catch. "Okay. Thanks, we'll see you there at six tonight!"

She walked over to the boys. "Guess what?"

Zack and Cody looked away embarrassed. "Mom, why are you at school?" Zack muttered.

"Oh, so you don't want me to pick you up now and we'll just miss our flight to New York? Okay."

"WE'RE LEAVING NOW?" Zack and Cody looked at each other in surprise. Carey _never_ took them out of school early. There had to be some thing important in New York.

"Yes we are! I got a show tonight at a hot new nightclub there! We're staying in the deluxe, new, suite in the Manhattan Tipton!" Carey squealed. "We're going to be living like celebrities there. _ That's_ how famous the night club is! I already packed for you, although I'm sure we'll be doing some shopping there. C'mon! I already signed you out."

Exchanging excited glances, the twins followed their mother out to her small silver car. "How long are we staying Mom?" Cody asked.

"Oh, about a week or two, and we get to visit the Twin Towers there! I heard from Max's mother that even though we're staying on the 47 floor, you still can't see all the way up to the top of the Towers since they are right next door. Max and your friend Christopher are staying at the same place too. This is going to be so much fun!" Carey squealed again, and Zack and Cody shook their heads.

A week in New York with their friends would be just what they needed. Relaxation, a place to bet away from it all, and even a roof-top pool that was on the top of the 50 story Tipton.

"This'll be perfect, thanks Mom!" Cody grinned.

"Yeah, nothing can go wrong on this vacation!" Zack agreed, a matching smile on his face as well.

_But neither knew how wrong they would be . . ._


	2. For Better or For Worse

**A/N: If I'm correct, you're all probably wondering why I haven't posted anything in almost two months. Well, I'll just say that moving even 15 minutes away is a long hard process. My older brother's laptop got damaged during the trip, so I'm actually posting from a friend's house right now. Luckily, we're getting it repaired and setting up our wireless connection now so I'll have the chapters up more regularly. I owe the updates of my three TSL stories to DarkElements10 as well, for pm'ing me! Especial thanks to them, thanks to all my readers, and I hope you still enjoy the story!  
**

**Second chapter is up! (Read and review or I won't know if people are even reading the story!)**

**Chapter 2**

**For Better or for Worse**

"Let's go!"

"Hurry up!"

"C'mon Tapeworm!" Tapeworm's friends, Cody, Zack, and Max stood impatiently at the airport, Gate B12, as Tapeworm payed for his hot dogs and ran over to join them. Max rolled her eyes, "Did you really need _six_ hotdogs?"

The brown haired teenager nodded, already shoving half of his second one into his mouth. The four hauled their bags to the plane to join their families. They filed into the plane's first class isle. Cody was staring intently at the plane tickets, "So Max and Zack will sit on the right and Tape and I will sit on the left in Row . . . 35." He bumped into Zack who had stopped abruptly and now was gaping at the row of seven seats in front them. Peering around his twin's shoulder, he grinned to see Rikku, Rumiku, Patrick, Noah, Sydney, and Robert Hiroshima already seated in Row 34.

"You never told us you were going to New York too!" Zack exclaimed, dropping his black carry on bag underneath his seat and turning to his friends.

"Dude, that's why we weren't at school yesterday!" Rumiku replied. "We we making reservations at the Manhattan Tipton and packing and stuff. We didn't tell anyone except your mom."

"Sweet! We're all gonna be in New York for two weeks! How can things get better?" Cody grinned. They all took their seats and the plane began its short ascent down the runway. Within a moment they were airborne.

"Goodbye Boston . . . " Cody whispered, watching the city he'd grown up in disappear into the thick gray and white clouds.

Moments later, Zack and Tapeworm were somehow managing to good-naturedly argue over some band across the isle, Cody and Rikku were reading, the adults were asleep, and Rumiku and Max were tossing a basketball back and forth across the isle.

"Hey guys, what are we gonna do in New York?" Cody finally spoke after about an hour and a half, looking up from his thick, brown covered book reading, 'Behind World War II.'

Rikku replied first, closing her surfing magazine, "I guess we'll find the sweetest skate-park in Manhattan first off!" She high fived Rumiku beside her.

Zack grinned, "Yeah. Then I want to see the top floor of the Twin Towers! How awesome will that be?"

Tapeworm laughed. "Yeah, just don't get sick when you look down _100 _stories!" He emphasized the '100.'

Sydney poked his head around the seats in-front of them where he sat next to Patrick and Noah. "Does the hotel there have a pool Rumi?" Rumiku ruffled his blue bangs.

"Yeah, there's a rooftop pool, and it's on top of all 50 stories. I think _everything_ is bigger in New York," She replied. Sydney grinned.

"I want to go to the top of the towers and drop a penny to see how fast it falls down. Let's see. I can clock it's time and use that to figure out the speed then by multiplying that by the weight of the penny and-" Tapeworm's eyes widened in excitement. "I think I figured it out!" He bent energetically over the math book he'd decided to pack and began furiously scratching down some numbers.

Even_ Cody_ rolled his eyes, as everyone groaned in unison, "_Tapeworm_!" He looked up sheepishly and ran a hand through his bushy brown hair, blushing. "Sorry, force of habit . . . "

Rikku plugged her portable I-home into a small battery pack in her backpack, and pointed at the song on her I-pod's screen to Rumiku. Silently, they nodded, and showed it to Zack and Cody, who nodded as well, knowing the routine.

Tape and Max grinned when they recognized what the four teenagers were doing and sat back to watch, not feeling like joining in this time.

Cody and Zack began as the music started on Rikku's I-Home.

**Cody/Zack:** It's too late baby, there's no turning around  
I got my hands in my pocket and my head in a cloud  
This is how I do  
When I think about you  
I never thought that you could break me apart  
I keep a sinister smile and a hold of my heart  
You want to get inside  
Then you can get in line  
But not this time

**All:** Cause you caught me off guard  
Now I'm running and screaming

** Rikku/Rumiku:** I feel like a hero and you are my heroine

Sydney, Patrick, and Noah had now caught on and joined in.

**Patrick/Noah:** I won't try to philosophize  
I'll just take a deep breath then I'll look in your eyes  
This is how I feel  
And it's so surreal  
I got a closet filled up to the brim  
With the ghosts of my past and their skeletons  
And I don't know why  
You'd even try  
But I won't lie

**Sydney:** You caught me off guard  
Now I'm running and screaming

**Rikku/Rumiku:** I feel like a hero and you are my heroine  
Do you know that your love is the sweetest sin?

**Zack/Cody:** And I feel a weakness coming on  
It never felt so good to be so wrong  
Had my heart on lockdown  
And then you turned me around  
And I'm feeling like a newborn child  
Every time I get a chance to see you smile  
It's not complicated  
I was so jaded

**All: **And you caught me off guard  
Now I'm running and screaming

**Zack/Cody:** I feel like a hero and you are my heroine  
Do you know that your love is the sweetest sin?

**Rikku/Rumiku/Sydney/Patrick/Noah:** (I feel like a hero and you are my heroine)  
And I feel a weakness coming on  
It never felt so good to be so wrong  
Had my heart on lockdown  
And then you turned me around  
(Do you know that your love is the sweetest sin?)  
And I'm feeling like a newborn child  
Every time I get a chance to see you smile  
It's not complicated  
I was so jaded

**All:** (I feel like a hero and you are my heroine )  
And I feel a weakness coming on  
It never felt so good to be so wrong  
Had my heart on lockdown  
And then you turned me around  
(Do you know that your love is the sweetest sin?)  
And I'm feeling like a newborn child  
Every time I get a chance to see you smile  
It's not complicated  
I was so jaded

By the time they had finished, they were aware of clapping from not only Max and Tapeworm, but most of the plane as well. Laughing, they all high-fived. "Hey, it's just our thing," Zack grinned and took a mock bow.

"That was awesome!" Max smiled, and Tapeworm nodded vigorously.

"Oh, it was nothi-" Rikku began, but was cut off by a loud voice over the plane's PA system.

"Welcome to Manhattan, New York, Flight 366! It is partly cloudy and 74 degrees as we descend into the Port Of Manhattan International Airport. We hope you enjoyed your flight and fly with International Flight Airlines again. Please fasten your seat belts and prepare for landing."

The gang began talking excitedly,while Rumiku leaned against the side of the plane and gazed out the window. She watched the thick cloud cover be whisked away and it revealed a city that seemed to stretch to no end, the skyline rimmed with skyscrapers. She breathed in deeply, before turning back to her friends.

"Well,we're here guys. We're in New York for better or for worse . . ." She announced softly, her purple eyes straying back to the window. When she looked back over, her friends waved her off. Max replied distractedly, "Don't worry so much. Things will be awesome here."

Cody put his hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "Got the feeling something is wrong?"

Rumiku nodded, her purple eyes locking with his blue/green ones. "Cody, something is going to happen. Something disastrous. It's something I can just . . . feel."

Cody nodded back. "You know you can always come to me. If you don't want to, I'm sure Rikku will listen too." He added the last sentence quickly, blushing. Rumiku shook her head.

"You know I trust you, Cody Martin." The plane shuddered as it stopped at the side of the airport. Rumiku leaned forward and gave Cody and quick kiss on the mouth before grabbing her suitcase and walking down the isle into the airport connector. Leaving Cody blushing deeply, but with a soft smile playing across his lips.


	3. Ready for Some Fun?

**A/N: Well, Chapter 3 of Somewhere In the Sands of Time is up . . . and it only took me 5 months! sigh Sorry about the ridiculously long wait! I'm honestly trying to get these chapters up faster! Since it's obviously taking me forever, I was thinking I might focus on one story for a few days, then another, then my third story and so on. I was wondering which of my stories any of my readers would want me to update first, so any suggestions are welcome, just pm me/ review!**

**Chapter 3**

Ready for Some Fun?**  
**

Regular POV

Zack grabbed his heavy suitcase and slung it over his shoulder. He smirked as Cody tried to do the same and nearly toppled over under his bag's weight. As the group of friends made their way off the plane, Zack slowed his pace to fall into step next to Cody.

"I saw you and Rumiku," He grinned as Cody self-consciously turned a deep shade of red. "You're lucky; Rikk still won't admit that she likes me."

"Have you ever thought that maybe she actually doesn't like you, shocking as that would be?" Cody replied sarcastically, rolling his icy blue eyes.

"I-" Zack never finished his sentence, his jaw dropping in awe. He, Cody, Rikku, Rumiku, Patrick, Noah, Sydney, Tapeworm, and Max all stopped dead and stared around them at the largest, loudest, most chaotic airport they'd ever seen. "Everything _is _bigger in New York!" Patrick exclaimed.

In the massive room their plane connector opened up into, thousands of people hurried in different directions. A group of adults dressed in business suits with head sets on and briefcases in their hands rushed out one door, while a family with six screaming toddlers came in through another. As they turned to look at the rest of the airport in unison, they were able to catch a glimpse of a few security guards shouting at a group of kids running away as they chased them in an airport cart.

Sydney smiled innocently, "I'm glad we were never like those kids." Everyone laughed when they heard Robert snort, "Yeah, right!" behind them.

Once they'd collected their luggage and gotten four taxis to take them to the Tipton, the three families decided to meet at a nearby restaurant in a few hours.

"This is going to be so awesome! Two weeks break from school, homework, tests-" Zack lowered his voice to a whisper as he and Cody sat facing each other on their beds, "-and the Darkness, hopefully. I don't think it'll follow us all the way across the country. We can spend our Spring Break in peace, using our elements how we want to!"

"Yeah," Cody agreed, sighing contentedly. "Let's go swimming after dinner." Zack nodded.

"BOYS!" Carey yelled from across the full-size suite. "Time to go to dinner!"

Zack and Cody threw on nicer clothes and followed their mother out of the suite.

At the restaurant, the teenagers were led to one table with Sydney, Patrick, and Noah, while the adults sat at another table -conveniently placed on the other side of the restaurant.

Zack fixed his collared red shirt and smoothed his tan cargo shorts as Rikku sat next to him. Cody was wearing basically the same thing with a lighter blue shirt. He sat in between Noah and Sydney, across from Max and Tapeworm.

"So, what's the plan for tomorrow guys?" Rumiku asked, setting down her menu.

"Cody and I are going to the pool tonight, if you guys want to come. Then that leaves tomorrow open for doing something else," Zack replied.

"That's sounds good to me," Patrick grinned, and Noah nodded his agreement.

"Yeah, swimming sounds great. I can't believe how warm the weather here is, since it's normally colder than Boston right now," Sydney smiled.

"If we swim tonight, that leaves tomorrow open for finding a good place to train. The Tipton is almost on the edge of the city, so somewhere secluded would be perfect," Rumiku commented.

"Ru, this is Spring Break! Lighten up already; we're not going to need to train!" Zack sighed, looking annoyed.

"I think Zack's right," Rikku said. "We need time to just relax and not worry about anything happening. Besides, if we were in some secluded spot, that would be like inviting something to happen. If we stick to the city, there are people all around and the DarkLions and BlackWolves won't bother us."

"But I have this feeling that something . . . something's wrong, guys. Something's going to happ-" Rumiku's face held a mixture of uncertainty and confusion, but Zack cut her off.

"Don't worry; nothing bad's going to happen to us."

"Yeah, except for this!" Rikku cried, laughing as she shoved spoonful of pie into Zack's face.

Everyone laughed as Zack chased Rikku around the restaurant and Sydney looked up at Rumiku innocently, saying, "This is why the grown-ups don't want to sit with us, isn't it?"

Rumiku forced a smile and nodded. Awhile later, as everyone was heading out of the restaurant, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

She turned to see Cody. He smiled and said, "Don't worry. I'll talk to the others about finding a spot where we can use our elements, even if I don't say anything about training. Trust me; Zack can't go the entire two weeks with being able to use his element. He just _has_ to be able to light my pants on fire when I bother him. I'm running out of excuses for coming home with charred pants!"

Rumiku laughed, and Cody put his arm around her as they walked outside. "So, ready to go have some fun torturing Zack at the pool?" For the first time since their plane had touched down in Manhattan, Rumiku relaxed and really smiled, "That sounds . . . perfect."


	4. For the First Time

**A/N: Here's Chapter 4! Sorry it's been a few days. I've been really busy lately. I was home sick all day, so I finished this chapter, and my other stories should be updated soon. This chapter is focused mainly on the ZackxRikku relationship. It's from first Rikku's POV, then Zack's. If you can, try listening to First Time by Lifehouse while you read this.**

**Chapter 4**

For The First Time

Rikku's POV

"Hey Zack!" I yelled from the deep end of the pool. Tape, Max, Ru, Zack, Cody, Patrick, Noah, Syd, Julius, and I were all hanging out at the pool after dinner. It was around 10:30, and all of our yelling and play-fighting must have gotten annoying, because all of the other guests had left the pool, even our parents.

"Yeah?" Zack turned around and ducked, the beach ball I'd thrown at him narrowly missing his head. "Hey!" He dove after me. I laughed and jumped out of the pool.

_We're both looking for something,_

_We've been afraid to find._

_It's easier to be broken,_

_Easier to hide._

_Looking at you,_

_Holding my breath._

_For once in my life,_

_I'm scared to death._

_I'm taking a chance, letting you inside . . . _

He climbed out too and began racing after me. Finally, he caught me by my wrist and I couldn't get away. Like I was as light as the beach ball, he picked me up and tossed me into the water. I resurfaced a few seconds later, coughing and glaring at him like hell. He gulped, jumped back into the water, and began swimming away. I just shook my head and nodded to Cody.

Cody held up his blue, glowing hands, and Zack was immediately launched into the air by a torrent of water. "No fair! You can't use elements! That's cheating!" He cried as we all laughed at him.

"Well, you must have been cheating if you caught me, Martin!" I called back, still laughing. Finally, Cody let him go, and he hit the water hard. When his head popped back up over the foaming water he grinned at me.

_I'm feeling alive,_

_All over again._

_As deep as a scar_

_Under my skin._

"So you wanna play hard ball?" Zack asked, his blue eyes glowing at the challenge. They flickered to a deep red, and steam began rising from the water around him. Cody hurled an icy ball of water at him.

Zack dodged the attack by firing a ball of flames back at Cody, and the two elements collided in a burst of steam.

_Like being in love,_

_She says for the first time._

_Maybe I'm wrong,_

_But I'm feeling right._

_Whenever I'm alone,_

_With you tonight._

"You guys! Stop, someone's going to see us!" Rumiku laughed, and Zack and Cody gave up and began wrestling. When Cody began to win, Zack squirmed out of his tight hold and disappeared under water.

A few seconds later, he popped back up behind me and yelled, "Boo!" I spun around intending to dunk his head under water, but my fiery red eyes locked with his cool blue ones. A fraction of a second became an eternity, and I was caught off balance. When the spell passed, Zack swiftly flipped me over.

_The world that I see inside you,_

_Waiting to come to life._

_Waking me up to dreaming,_

_Reality in your eyes._

_Looking at you, _

_Holding my breath._

_For once in my life, _

_I'm scared to death._

_I'm taking a chance, letting you inside . . ._

Rikku resurfaced a second later, and Rumiku shot her a questioning look, "How did you not dodge that?" Rikku shrugged and turned away.

With a small smile, she thought to herself, "_Okay, maybe I do like Zack. _A little"

_I'm feeling alive, _

_All over again._

_As deep as a scar, _

_Under my skin._

_Like being in love, _

_She says for the first time._

_Maybe I'm wrong, _

_But I'm feeling right._

_Whenever I'm alone,_

_With you tonight._

_Like being in love_

_With you for the first time._

Zack's POV

I popped up behind Rikku and yelled, "Boo!" She spun around like she was going to do something, but we both froze for what seemed like hours. Her red eyes were piercing, and I felt like they were searching mine for . . . something. But that was Rikku Hiroshima, and as quickly as we'd been caught in the spell, it ended.

I noticed in the fraction of a second that Rikku's left leg was off balance, and I took advantage of that and flipped her. When she came back up, Rumiku whispered something to her, too low for me to hear. Rikku shrugged and turned away.

_We're crashing_

_Into the unknown_

_We're lost in this_

_But it feels like home_

_I'm feeling alive all over again_

_As deep as a scar that's under my skin_

_Like being in love, she says, for the first time_

_(For the first time)_

A soft smile played across my lips as I watched Rikku sneak up on Sydney, who was playing pool-basketball with Noah, Patrick, and Julius. She held a fist-sized foam pool-ball in her hand, soaked in ice water. She suddenly threw the ball at the back of Syd's head. Somehow, he knew to duck, and the ball whizzed over him and smacked into the side of Julius's head.

"Rikku!" Julius yelled, shaking his head, even though he was grinning. He dove after her, and they began racing around the pool. Suddenly, she disappeared under the water's surface and didn't pop back up immediately. "Where's Rikku?" I looked around, but there was no sign of the black/red haired teenager I had fallen so hard for.

_I'm feeling right._

_Whenever I'm alone,_

_With you tonight._

_Like being in love_

_With you for the first time._

_(For the first time)_

I froze as I felt another icy pool-ball thump against my bare back. Chills ran up my spine and my face flushed red as I felt lips graze my ear and a familiar voice whisper, "I'd be watching your back, Zack." And then Rikku was gone.

When I spun around, she was standing behind me again. Her red eyes shone in the moonlight, a smile passing between us, meaningfully. Before I was forced to duck, as she sent another ball my way. And that was when I realized I was in love with Rikku Hiroshima.

_Like being in love she says for the first time_

_Like being in love with you the first time_

_For the first time . . . _


	5. Among the Enemy

**A/N: Sorry for not updating in a while. This is the chapter where the story really picks up, and the 9/11 theme is involved. If you've read all three of my stories, pm/review which one you'd like me focus on for a while.**

**Chapter 5**

Among the Enemy

Cody's POV

"So we'll meet you at the Twin Towers around 2:00?" Zack was saying to the Hiroshima's, Tape, and Max over the phone, as I yawned and stood up from the couch.

I could their muffled replies, and Zack grinned. "Cool, see you then." He hung up and slung his jacket over his shoulder. "Let's go. If we hurry, we'll have time to walk there. I hate riding these buses."

"Okay," I agreed, setting my blue Red Sox hat on my long, dirty blonde hair. Zack grinned again, "This is going to be awesome. I can't wait to see the Towers!"

He shoved his hands the pockets of his cargo pants, and we walked outside. We met up with our friends underneath the towers and hurried inside. "Guys! Check this out!" Rikku yelled from across the lobby. She was standing next to a map and list of all the floors, pointing to the line that said, "24th Floor: Basketball Court."

"What are we standing here for?" Zack asked, already taking off for the elevator. We all laughed and ran after him.

After a few quick games of pick-up ball, we decided to go see the 100th floor.

Rumiku's POV

I just shook my head and smiled as all of my friends surged out of the elevator at the top of the left Tower. Walking leisurely over to one of the windows, I glanced downwards. That brought wave of dizziness, so I stepped back.

"_I've never been afraid of heights before . . ." _I thought to myself, as I leaned against a wall for support. Suddenly, the dizziness increased until I fell to my knees and a vision flashed before my closed purple eyes.

_I was still standing in the Towers, but I was alone. I glance around slowly, looking for my friends, but there weren't even doors in this room. A wide window stretched across an entire wall, and I walked forward. I don't know what it was, but something told me to look up. Flashing in the faint sunlight, a silver plane was flying above the skyscrapers –barely. I narrowed my eyes and whispered, "Planes aren't supposed to fly that low . . ."_

_Suddenly, a there was a crash and explosion, louder than anything I'd ever heard, that left the Tower trembling. I could no longer feel or do anything but watch in terror as my world went up in flames . . . _

Gasping, I pulled myself up, one thought racing rapidly through my mind. "_Something is incredibly wrong here._"

Cody's POV

I held my pounding head and willed my headache to go away. No such luck.

"Fresh air will clear it up," I muttered hopefully to myself and pushed open the revolving doors on ground level. Squinting in the sunlight, I walked slowly down the street until a soft voice in an alley caught my attention.

I snaked closer and glanced around the corner at a dark figure talking on a pay phone. I held my breath and moved closer, almost in the figure's line of sight. I was finally close enough to hear his voice.

"Are you _sure_ that the hijackers will be ready? What if they can't overthrow the plane?" He was saying in a hushed voice.

My eyes widened and I gasped, luckily not loud enough to be heard. Every nerve in my body was screaming at me to leave, but the logical part of my brain was frozen.

I was still, listening to the rest of the conversation.

"Yes sir . . . Uh-huh . . . Alright, I'll be a safe distance from the Towers by the time the plane hits them. . . Yeah . . . Two days from now? Got it . . . Okay, bye."

As if I wasn't shocked enough, then figure was now turning around. He saw me almost right away, "Hey you! What did you hear?" I was almost too shocked to notice that his had sent a ball of flames flying towards me. From his outstretched hand. He was an elemental too.

By natural instinct, I bended a ball of ice to hold of the flames while I took off running.

I wasn't that shocked about the terrorist plot. I wasn't even that shocked that he was an elemental. What had thoroughly stunned me was that when the figure turned around, I had seen his face.

It wasn't the face of a terrorist. It was the face of a boy who couldn't have even been as old as me.


End file.
